Veep urges Venezuela, Guyana to resolve territorial dispute
The Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, has called on Venezuela and Guyana to utilise every conceivable diplomatic means to resolve the dispute between them which has the potential to threaten the peace and stability of the two countries.
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He made the appeal when the Venezuelan Deputy Minister for Africa, Mr Reinaldo Jose Bolivar, called on him at the Flagstaff House in Accra to deliver a special message from President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela.
Mr Amissah-Arthur said the creation of artificial boundaries by the colonialists had brought in their wake disputes among countries, especially in Africa and Latin America .
He said it took tact and diplomacy between countries concerned, and with the help of the international community, to resolve such issues which, more often than not, led to conflicts.
The Vice-President pleaded with the governments of the two countries not to trade accusations or mass up troops along their borders, since that would raise tension among their people.
Amicable solution
He called on the two countries to resort to international arbitration to find an amicable resolution to the impasse.
He cited the fact that Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire were before the International Arbitration Tribunal in The Hague to resolve a boundary-related dispute and explained that the two countries had both presented their cases to the International Tribunal for examination in order to reach an amicable resolution which would be acceptable to both countries.
He said it would be against the dictates of international relations for either Venezuela or Guyana to take the law into its own hands and attempt to annex the area in dispute.
"The governments of Venezuela and Guyana should allow the rule of law to regulate and find a lasting solution to the territorial dispute between them," he said.
The Vice-President said he would pass on the message to President John Dramani Mahama, who was visiting other parts of the country.
Warm reception
For his part, Mr Bolivar thanked the government for the warm reception accorded his delegation, which was on a seven-nation tour of Africa.
He said the Venezuelan government decided to visit Ghana due to Ghana’s stature as the first African country south of the Sahara to gain political independence and also its contribution among the comity of nations.
“As a very prominent member of the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations, we implore the government of Ghana to help us resolve the issue between us and Guyana, which also belongs to the Commonwealth," he said.